Thursday, September 4
Hi – 69° Low – 49° | 🌥️ Partly Cloudy w/ a Shower Chance | Breezy WNW
Cooler air rolls in with a high near 69°F under partly to mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower could sneak through, but most of the day stays dry. Winds from the WNW will make it feel crisp and refreshing. Overnight, skies turn mostly clear with just a few clouds drifting by. Temps dip to 49°F so grab a hoodie if you’re out late!

💰 $2 Million Powerball Ticket Sold in Fort Wayne

🏒 Former Komets Star Lonnie Loach Passes Away

🌳 Reimagined Brewer Park Opens in Southeast Fort Wayne

🍽️ New Downtown Dining District Moves On, Hopes to Spur More Business

🚲 Sections of Trail to Close for Multiple Days for Maintenance

🗳️ Group to Push Independent Candidates Across Indiana

🏫 FWCS Mom Says District Failed to Call 911 for Broken Arm

🚓 Driver in Stolen SUV Has Died in Crash Near Lake and Wyss

⚾ TinCaps Drop Opener to Whitecaps for 7th Loss in a Row

💰 A Powerball ticket worth $2 million was sold at the Marathon gas station at Coliseum and Hobson Road in Fort Wayne, while another ticket worth $150,000 was sold at a Marathon on Maysville Road. The winning numbers for Aug. 30 were 3-18-22-27-33 with Powerball 17, and for Sept. 1 were 8-23-25-40-53 with Powerball 5. The Hoosier Lottery urges winners to secure their tickets, seek financial advice, and contact customer service for claim instructions. Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot is an estimated $1.3 billion, the fifth-largest in game history. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏒 Former Komets star Lonnie Loach passed away peacefully at his home in Ontario on Monday at the age of 57. Loach scored one of the most important goals in franchise history on April 21, 1991, lifting the Komets past the Indianapolis Ice in game seven of the first round. That season, he led the team to the Turner Cup finals and tallied 55 goals and 76 assists making him the last Komet to score 50 goals in a season. Loach played for the Komets from 1989–91 before moving on to the NHL with Ottawa, Los Angeles, and Anaheim, retiring in 2006. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🌳 Brewer Park on East Pettit Avenue has reopened after more than five years of planning and renovations. The upgrades include two new playgrounds, a splash pad, basketball courts, a covered pavilion with restrooms, and a quarter-mile walking path. The park also features landscaping improvements and an art garden with an “I Am Allen” sculpture created by local artist Theophlis Smith III. City officials celebrated the reopening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, highlighting the park as a space for families and residents of all ages. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🍽️ Fort Wayne city officials presented plans to expand the downtown dining district, receiving a 7-2 do pass recommendation from city council. The proposal extends the district to West Main Street in the Nebraska neighborhood and east to Conjure Coffee, lowering liquor license costs from more than $200,000 to an annual $3,500 fee. The plan also reduces the requirement for businesses to be open from 300 to 210 days a year. Supporters say the changes would make it easier for local entrepreneurs to open restaurants and attract entertainment venues, while critics argue it creates unfair competition for businesses outside downtown. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🚲 Two sections of Fort Wayne trails are closing for maintenance this week. The Towpath Trail between Covington Road and Smith Road is closed from Sept. 3–8 for resealing. The Pufferbelly Trail will close Sept. 4–5 from Cookie Cottage to Carroll Road for crack sealing, weather permitting. Officials urge residents not to walk or ride on sealed areas until they’ve fully cured. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🗳️ A new group called Independent Indiana launched Tuesday to spotlight the success of Hoosiers running as independents. In 2023 and 2024, 244 independent candidates qualified for partisan races, with 52 percent winning. The group pointed to mayors Richard Strick and Shawna Girgis, and councilmember Tom Saunders as examples of success. Nearly 44 percent of Indiana voters are registered independents, compared to 31 percent Republicans and 25 percent Democrats. Independent Indiana plans billboard campaigns, educational resources, and two September events focused on independent leadership and election reform. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🏫 A Fort Wayne mother says Fairfield Elementary staff failed to properly respond after her daughter broke her arm on the playground. Nine-year-old D’Jia Wolfe fractured her arm jumping off a slide. Her mother, Jalana Taylor, says she was told firefighters were on scene but arrived to find no emergency responders. Instead, staff wheeled D’Jia out with her arm in a sling made of manila folders. Doctors later performed emergency surgery and told Taylor 911 should have been called immediately. FWCS said it follows medical emergency protocols but cannot share specifics due to privacy. Taylor wants an apology and worries about her daughter’s safety as she returns to school. Read more from WANE 15 here.

🚓 Police say a woman driving a stolen Chevy Tahoe died after a crash on Fort Wayne’s east side Wednesday morning. Around 7 a.m., an officer spotted the SUV at Lake and Reed, and as he prepared to initiate a traffic stop, the driver ran a red light and sped away. The Tahoe struck another vehicle near Lake and Old Maysville Road, leaving that driver with minor injuries, before crashing into trees near Lake and Wyss. The woman was pinned inside, freed by firefighters, and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Her identity will be released after an autopsy. Lake Avenue near Old Maysville was closed during the investigation. Read more from WANE 15 here.

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

No wonder 10K+ everyday people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

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⚾ The Fort Wayne TinCaps fell 8-5 to the West Michigan Whitecaps on Tuesday, marking their seventh straight loss. Eguy Rosario went 2-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs, while Brendan Durfee hit his sixth homer of the year and extended his hot streak with hits in 13 of his last 14 games. Kai Roberts and Zach Evans also added multi-hit efforts. West Michigan powered ahead early with five runs in the first three innings and three home runs, including Izaac Pacheco’s 17th of the season. Nick Wissman provided two scoreless innings in relief for Fort Wayne. Read more from WANE 15 here.

Thu, Sep 4
⚾ @ West Michigan— 6:35 PM EDT

Fri, Sep 5
⚾ @ West Michigan— 6:35 PM EDT

Sat, Sep 6
⚾ @ West Michigan— 7:05 PM EDT

Sun, Sep 7
⚾ @ West Michigan— 2:00 PM EDT